The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-16
Special Contributors.
THE SCIENCE OF LIFE.
BY REV. WILLIAM TUCKER, d. D.
INT. Gilead. O.l

INT. Gilead. o.,
Life is a mystery. Its nature and
work are alike mysterious. 1t can
neither be analyzed nor defined. All at
tempts to do either on the part of
scientists have failed. 1t manifests its
presence by its wonderful power to Or
ganize and transform matter. 1t is
found only in correction with living
organism, or at work in the building of
such an organism. 1t is not material,
for it is not subjected to the control of
material laws. By its power it holds in
subjection, gravitation, cohesion and
chemical affinity. 1t is force, but it is
evidently neither mechanical nor chem
ical. Within the organism both me-
chanical and chemical force are un-
der it's control. In its operations it
moves in different direction from
chemical force in action. Vital force is
constructive; chemical force is destruc-
tive. Vital force builds up an organ
ism; chemical force pulls it down. vi
tai force creates organic structures;
chemical force when acting alone de-
stroys them. The mechanical and chem
ical forces are its servants, not its mas
ters. Their work in the process of
organization is done by its direction
and under its control. 1t is the master
builder; they work under it and in sub
lection to its authority. These forces
do not create life; they only condition
its action. 1t is not derived from them,
but its power is manifested through
and in connection with them. Matter
furnishes the conditions necessary to
the action, in this life, and in this world
of all force, whether mechanical, chem
ical, vital or mental. This is its fuDc-
tion in nature. 1t is material for Gre
alton, and not the creator-a condition,
and not the cause of action-a vehicle
of force, and not force itself.
Science has never discovered any reli-
able method of bridging the chasm be-
tween matter and life; the dead and the
living. This fact is conceded by our
standard writers in the science of biol
ogy. There is no we'll authenticated case
of spontaneous generation on record.
The evidence of modern experimental
science is against it. The results and
conclusions of the experiments of DIR.
Bastain, which were thought to establish
the theory, have been successfully set
aside by the more careful and thorough
experiments of DIR. Tyndal. The gen.
orally received biological law, is: That
all life is from life. Natures uniform
methods of producing living organisms
is from living organisms, germs or eggs.
There is no scientific or historical evil
dence to the contrary. There is no law
of nature better established, by observa-
tion and experiment, than this law of
reproduction. Nature does not change
her established order or vary her uni
form methods. If spontaneous gener-
alton had ever been natures method of
producing organisms, it would be her
method now. But such is not the fact.
Spontaneous generation is not her pres
ent method, and all reliable scientific
evidences show that it never was. We
have hypotheses, but they are not
proofs, and hypotheses must be proved
by scientific evidence, and verified by
the scientific method, which is induc-
tive and experimental, before we can
believe that nature has changed her
established order or varied her uniform
methods.
Mr.. Spencer's efforts to prove the
convertability of mechanical and chem
ical into vital force, and thus establish
their identity, is failure. He says:
"The transformation of the morgan
ized contents of an egg into the organ
lied chick, is altogether question of
heat. Withhold the heat and the proc
ess does not commence; supply the
heat and it goes ON while the temper
ature is maintained, but ceases when
the egg is allowed to COOL" Princi-
pies of Biology, p. 273.
The gist of Mr.. Spencer's argument
is this without sunshine there can
be no plant or animal life; hence sun
shine and life are one. Without heat
the chick cannot be hatched; therefore,
heat and vitality are Identical" This
argument only proves the possibility
of their identity, and not its certainty
by any means. All that is really prov
ed is that heat and light are natural